Naruto: I Roamed the Ninja World as a Woman

The next day, early morning.

As required, Ayane Amamiya arrived at the second camp to learn the Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique, which she had obtained by exchanging merit points.

The instructor who came to teach ninjutsu was a rather burly man.

However, he wore a brown bear mask, which softened the grim atmosphere of the Dark Division and made him look somewhat adorable.

"Before you begin learning ninjutsu, I need to make this clear to you—any ninjutsu acquired within the Anbu, regardless of the method, is strictly prohibited from being leaked in any way!"

After verifying his identity, the Little Bear Anbu didn't rush to teach him ninjutsu. Instead, he talked for a long time about the Anbu's rules.

The gist of it is that the consequences of ninjutsu leaking out are very serious.

If you dare to violate the confidentiality agreement, you'll be in for a rude awakening to the deepest darkness within Amegakure...

Ayane Amamiya was mentally prepared for this.

This kind of requirement is the norm in ninja villages.

When she was in school, she had thought about secretly using money to buy some ninjutsu.

However, the highest level of ninjutsu they could access was C-rank, and many of them were fire-style techniques that weren't very practical in the Land of Rain.

This shows how strict the ninja village was in controlling ninjutsu.

"I wonder how Minato Namikaze managed to master the Flying Thunder God Technique at such a young age? Was it thanks to his teacher Jiraiya, or his wife Kushina?"

"No matter what, it seems you still have to rely on your husband's financial support when you first start a business..."

"Tsk, thinking about it that way. The eagle and the woodpecker gave up their share of the credit to help me change my ninjutsu; isn't that a kind of 'living off someone else' situation in itself?"

On the surface, she nodded and agreed, but in reality, her mind was wandering, and she started daydreaming, completely ignoring what the other person was saying.

After dawdling for six or seven minutes, we finally got to the point.

"Although the Water Dragon Bullet Technique is a B-rank water-style technique, it is extremely difficult to master."

"This is the corresponding training scroll. Write down the contents first, and then I will demonstrate it a few more times and tell you some details that you need to pay attention to. You can practice it slowly when you get back."

The ninjutsu scrolls, of course, cannot be taken away.

You might only have a morning to memorize it.

When Ayane Amamiya opened the scroll, she was almost dazzled by the row of handprint patterns on it!

Why does a mere B-rank Water Dragon Bullet Technique require so many hand seals?

Somewhat unconvinced, she counted again and discovered that, to be precise, it was exactly forty-four...

This is really...

Obito spied on Rin's wedding night—his eyes were opened!

Ayane Amamiya remembers watching anime in her past life.

When Naruto's Team 7 went out of the village for their first mission, Kakashi encountered Zabuza the Demon and showed a scene of them exchanging Water Dragon Bullets.

In the anime at that time.

Kakashi and Zabuza stood facing each other, one diligently forming hand seals, the other diligently copying...

But she always thought so.

That's a slow-motion close-up shot deliberately used in anime for visual effect, to highlight a duel between masters...

I never expected there would actually be so many mudras!

This wasn't the first time the Little Bear Anbu had taught her this ninjutsu, so they weren't surprised by her reaction.

He calmly said, "Although the number of hand seals is indeed large, the power of the Water Dragon Bullet Technique is also great, justifying the time required."

Most water-style ninjutsu are not known for their power, but the Water Dragon Bullet Technique is indeed one of the most destructive techniques.

This is also one of the few ninjutsu in the original work that has a scene from beginning to end.

After speaking, Kogoro thought for a moment and added, "Moreover, if you have a deeper understanding of this ninjutsu, it is entirely possible to simplify the number of hand seals."

Ayane Amamiya blinked: "Simplify? Can it be simplified to the point of no-hand seal ninjutsu, just by clapping your hands together?"

"dream!"

The Little Bear Anbu was somewhat speechless at her "ambitious" remarks: "Even the Second Hokage of Konoha, the strongest shinobi most famous for his Water Release techniques, is said to have only reduced the hand seals for the Water Dragon Bullet Technique to single digits."

Ayane Amamiya wanted to ask how many hand seals Hanzo of the Salamander needed to perform this ninjutsu.

After all, both Hanzo the Salamander and Tobirama Senju were masters of Water Release.

But then he felt that doing so might be suspected of spying, so he didn't dare to say it.

After Ayane Amamiya finished reading all the contents of the scroll and said she had memorized them all, the Kuma Anbu announced that they would begin the practical phase.

Let me demonstrate it for you first.

"Water Release: Exploding Water Wave!"

He first summoned a large amount of water in the field.

Then raise both hands and begin forming hand seals.

Ayane Amamiya stood opposite him, watching him move his hands back and forth, changing them into various poses, as if he were waving his hands in a flower-like gesture.

It took almost ten seconds for Little Bear's Dark Side to complete all 44 hand seals.

Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!

A low shout.

Immediately afterward, a stream of shimmering white water rose from the ground behind him, converging into a slender dragon shape. Then, with a twist, the dragon's head slammed down onto the ground.

A loud bang was heard!

The water flow, which appears to be very gentle, produced an effect almost like a cannonball.

It blasted a crater several meters deep into the ground, sending mud and sand flying everywhere.

"How is it?"

The little bear's tone was not without smugness.

In the past, whenever he gave a teaching demonstration, the newcomers learning ninjutsu would admire him greatly when they saw how fast he could form hand seals.

Ayane Amamiya nodded in agreement.

Its power is indeed considerable.

Although she couldn't tell whether the thing the other party condensed from the water was actually a dragon...

The girl took a breath and began to form hand seals according to the memories in her mind.

The casting animation for the Water Dragon Bullet Technique is indeed quite long.

But unexpectedly, once she started practicing, she always felt that there was a strange sense of fluidity hidden in these forty-four seals.

Just like the Tang and Song poems I learned in my school days, there seems to be a strange rhythm in them that helps with memorization.

So much so that some of the poems I memorized in school can still be clearly recalled when I get old.

Ayane Amamiya is not yet able to decipher the ninjutsu pattern hidden beneath the hand seals.

But her seals did indeed become smoother and smoother.

Sometimes, as soon as you finish one mudra, you can form the next mudra simply by relying on your intuition, as if you were divinely inspired.

Later on, the girl's hand seals became so fast that they left afterimages, surpassing her previous peak speed.

A few seconds later, forty-four seals were completed in one go!

She mentally shouted, "Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"

A massive flow of water was pulled up by an invisible force, converging in the air into a slender shape.

The dragon's head trembled incessantly, its whiskers swaying in the air, as if it were about to unleash a defiant roar.

Ayane Amamiya tried her best to control the flow of water.

Unfortunately, it ultimately faltered, lacking any dragon-like aura and instead slumping to the ground like a limp snake...

She sighed and said regretfully, "It was so close, but we still failed."

Even so, the opposing Koma's ANBU were still completely astonished, rubbing their eyes in surprise.

What did he see?

This newbie's hand seal speed is even faster than mine!

The novice completed the forty-four hand seals of the Water Dragon Bullet Technique in just about seven seconds!

It took almost half the time compared to his own mentor!

This is awkward...

"You've done a very good job."

Kogoro swallowed hard, trying his best to maintain a calm tone as he explained, "The reason you ultimately failed is mainly because you didn't connect your last hand seal and chakra properly."

Ayane Amamiya calmed down and thought it over, realizing that what the other person said made some sense.

She practiced the hand seals once again.

Although I still failed, I did gain some new insights, which were different from before.

After practicing like this more than ten times, it was noon.

The expression behind the bear's mask had become somewhat numb.

The learning speed of this guy in front of me...

It's absolutely insane!

More importantly, the opponent's chakra seemed inexhaustible, showing no signs of running out despite using so many ninjutsu.

"Then, the instruction is complete."

The little bear's operative felt devastated and no longer wanted to stay there.

He glanced at the sky and said, "Your understanding of ninjutsu is pretty much complete. You just need to keep practicing."

Ayane Amamiya handed over the ninjutsu scroll with both hands, bowed slightly, and said earnestly, "Yes, thank you for your guidance."

Little Bear nodded slightly, saying nothing, but feeling much better inside.

On the eve of departure.

He suddenly turned his head and said, "By the way, four prints per second is not my limit."

Little Bear's undercover agent tried his best to appear nonchalant, attempting to justify himself: "The demonstration I did earlier was just to make it clear for you."

Oh, this...

Does anyone care about this?

I didn't even notice any of that...

After a moment of silence, the girl replied with the universal, formulaic response: "I understand, I will continue to work hard."

Upon hearing this, the bear-like operative stumbled.

With such abnormal ninjutsu talent, what else do you need to work hard for?

How much more improvement do you want?

Is it really as the other party just said, that they want to optimize the Water Dragon Bullet Technique into a simple clap of both hands?

He couldn't help but sigh in his heart: the younger generation these days are truly the strongest, even surpassing the Third Hokage!

Wait until the other party has completely left.

Ayane Amamiya quietly shifted some of her attention to her own control panel.

A prompt appeared above.

[You've undergone a serious ninjutsu training session!]

[Achievement Points +29!]

29 achievement points in one morning.

This efficiency is excellent.

Of course, the main reason is that the mastery of the Water Dragon Bullet technique is not yet proficient, so a lot of achievement points are given.

Ayane Amamiya glanced at her achievement points balance—3065.

The three entries, [Ninja Tool Throwing], [Excellent Taijutsu], and [Swordsmanship Basics], can now be upgraded.

However, she has no plans to add more points for the time being.

So I shifted my attention to the glossary section.

The only blue label, "Intermediate Ninjutsu Mastery," was now flickering slightly.

Among the effects of the entry, the phrase "The learning speed of new ninjutsu is increased to a certain extent" once again caught her eye.

Recalling the divinely inspired hand seals she had formed while learning the Water Dragon Bullet technique, she suddenly understood.

So that's what "accelerated learning" means in the term!

------

evening.

After finishing her day of ninjutsu training, Ayane Amamiya returned to reunite with Woodpecker and Eagle.

After handing over the headbands to the Konoha ninjas last night, the vice-minister in charge of the intelligence squad granted them a three-day leave.

But for those working in the shadows, it's hard to say they really have time to rest.

For example, Woodpecker set off even earlier than Ayane Amamiya today. He didn't even eat breakfast before he started using his connections to gather information.

The three of them then crawled into the tent, sat together, and shared their experiences of the day.

Woodpecker said helplessly, "I asked the minister, and the higher-ups currently have two options for us: one is to reorganize the team; the other is to retain our existing structure..."

The eagle, who was chewing on a large pear, immediately perked up its ears and asked, "Squad reorganization? Are we splitting up?"

The woodpecker didn't dare look at her, but instead fiddled with the kunai in its hand, whispering, "Very likely..."

Without a second thought, the eagle immediately and loudly refused: "What?! I choose to keep the unit!"

Ayane Amamiya nodded in agreement.

She glanced at the panel and saw that she had just been promoted to the title of [Dark Force Captain], and thought to herself, what kind of captain would abandon his team members for no reason?

The woodpecker wasn't surprised by the two's resistant expressions.

Actually, if you count the time, the one who joined the Dark Division earlier, Eagle, had only been there for a little over half a month. The Dark Division's emphasis on "obedience to nature" hadn't been formed yet.

As for Ayane Amamiya?

That would mean being completely hardened, with a rebellious streak running through your body...

"What problems would there be if we retained the existing structure?"

Ayane Amamiya asked, "I remember you said that when you withdrew from Sunagakure last time, you kept the squad's structure intact, right? There's no reason why you can't do that this time, is there?"

Upon hearing this, the woodpecker sighed.

He didn't want to break up either.

In fact, he was well aware that the relationship between the three of them was no longer like that of a cold and ruthless secret service team that only focused on missions. Instead, it was more like a mentor-apprentice mission group where an experienced member guided a new member.

This completely deviates from the requirements of the Anbu for ninjas.

But who says that all ANBU ninjas are cold and ruthless machines?

The longer you stay in the dark, the more you yearn for the light.

"The main reason is that there is a severe shortage of reserve personnel in the secret service."

Woodpecker smiled wryly and pointed out the biggest problem: "The biggest problem is that if we keep the existing structure, our team won't be able to add any new members in the short term."

The difference in numbers between a three-person team and a ten-person team is only twice.

However, when encountering danger during a mission, the chances of survival are not simply twice as high...

Upon hearing this, the eagle froze.

Not knowing how to answer, she turned her gaze to Ayane Amamiya and gestured with her eyes: Ayane, Ayane, say something!

Ayane Amamiya thought for a moment and said seriously, "Although it might sound selfish and frivolous to say it like that."

"but......."

She patted the Stormbringer at her waist, her tone both relaxed and heavy: "If we encounter danger in the future, I will risk my life to protect everyone!"

Before anyone knew it, the girl had removed the mask of the Dark Guard, revealing her true face.

"This isn't a promise made in the name of the so-called 'Swan of the Dark Side,' but a vow made by Ayane Amamiya herself!"

The lights were dim.

The burning candle wick illuminated the girl's jewel-like eyes and the light shining within them.

There was a brief moment of silence inside the tent.

The eagle was the first to cheer, "Ayane isn't afraid, and neither am I!"

The woodpecker looked left and right and noticed that both of them had the same determined expression.

He smiled knowingly: "Since the captain has said so, what reason do I have to object?"

So be it, it's dangerous.

Anyway, I had already settled my son's future when I went back to the village last time.

At this age, what's the harm in giving it another shot? At least you can sacrifice yourself if you encounter danger in the future.

For a ninja from the Anbu to live to this age is already a great achievement.

He said this to himself.

"If that's the case, could we take this opportunity to change the team name?"

The eagle, quick-witted, said, "To be honest, I've never thought the name 'owl' sounded very nice!"

Ayane Amamiya paused, then asked, "What do you want to change to?"

"Of course it's a black swan!"

Without hesitation, the eagle exclaimed, "This sounds much better than any owl or night raven!"

"Changing the number is just a minor issue."

The woodpecker replied, "Changing the squad number according to the captain's name is perfectly normal."

The eagle nodded happily upon hearing this.

She extended an arm first, placing her palm in the center of the three, and then announced in an impassioned tone, "Black Swan Squad, Sensory member Eagle, reporting to the captain!"

The woodpecker paused, taken aback.

He then placed his palms on the table with some emotion and said gently, "Black Swan Squad, combat member Woodpecker reporting to the captain."

I saw the enthusiastic looks from the two team members.

A surge of pride welled up within Ayane Amamiya. She placed her hands together on top of each other and said firmly, "Captain Black Swan, received!"

This is the end.

The Owl Squad, which had been operating within the Rain Shadow Dark Division for nearly ten years, was disbanded from that point on.

The new Black Swan Squad has made its grand debut!

--------

The third day of the holiday.

It was also the second day after the Black Swan Team was formed.

After a short rest, Ayane Amamiya and the others received new mission instructions from the higher-ups of the Anbu.

After the ANBU ninja who issued the mission solemnly finished explaining all the mission requirements, Ayane Amamiya's face behind her mask showed undisguised astonishment.

Last night she was full of ambition, but now she asked incredulously, "Follow and monitor the Legendary Sannin of Konoha? Us?"